ATLANTA, GA - Authorities have identified the man who is accused of holding a bus driver at gunpoint, hijacking the bus and holding the remaining 17 commuters hostage.
According to Fox News, 39-year-old Joseph Grier, was taken into custody without further incident after a vehicle pursuit that spanned multiple jurisdictions — for a total of 15-miles. In a statement, the Atlanta Police Department (APD) said that the rush-hour chase crossed through highway lanes and suburban streets, with the bus careening into other cars and crossing into opposing traffic.
Grier hijacked the bus at gunpoint and fatally shot one of the passengers. He has since been booked into the Fulton County Jail on more than two dozen charges, including murder, 14 counts of kidnapping, 13 counts of aggravated assault, hijacking a motor vehicle, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
During a press conference, APD Chief Darin Schierbaum said that Grier was a convicted felon with 19 prior arrests. Georgia Department of Correction told Fox 5 Atlanta that Grier was last released from Baldwin State Prison 10 years ago after serving time for an aggravated assault that happened in 2011. He also served time for possession of a knife during a commission of a crime.
According to the Associated Press (AP), a short time before Grier hijacked the bus, police had responded to the area on reports of multiple people who had been shot at a downtown Atlanta food court. As that incident unfolded, Grier was supposedly on the sidewalk outside the food court rambling to reporters about his mental health, criminal record and banking history.
When talking to reporters he appeared agitated, adding that he felt like a "snitch" for describing what he had seen. He also said, "I'm bipolar. I'm gonna tell you that and I'm off my medication for like two weeks."
Authorities said Grier boarded a bus bound for a suburban Gwinnett County park-and-ride lot 26 miles away and got into a fight with one of the passengers. That passenger has been identified as 58-year-old Ernest Byrd Jr., the man who was fatally shot by Grier. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, during the fight, Byrd pulled out a gun. Grier took that gun and fatally shot Byrd, then threated to shoot the driver if he stopped.
Schierbaum said that despite Grier's warnings to not use phones, one of the passengers called 911 and left the line open, which allowed police to better understand the delicate situation on the bus. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that police flattened tires on the bus, but it kept rolling until a state trooper fired his rifle into the engine, causing it to stop running.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement, "You have an individual saying, 'If you stop this bus, I'm going to kill the driver,' which means that the whole bus could overturn, could run over a ditch or run over a bridge and everyone could die. But, you also have a man that we know was shot. So, he has a limited amount of time."
Schierbaum said that investigators have not found any connection between Grier and the man responsible for the shooting at the food court, 34-year-old Jeremy Malone. Both Schierbaum and Dickens said that they believe Grier's actions were linked to mental health issues. Dickens said, "Was he having a mental episode for that brief moment triggered by police sirens, triggered by activity that he's hearing, or was he already that day having a mental episode (and) he was just in that area? All of that will play into our investigation."
Grier's father's partner told Fox 5 Atlanta that Grier was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and has struggled with mental illness for 16 years. She said that he had been receiving medical treatment for both the mental illnesses. She described Grier as having a soft, calm and loving demeanor when he is well-rested and taking his medication.
However, she said that he stopped following his treatment plan after losing his job recently and that he had not been getting much sleep. Byrd, the man who was fatally shot by Grier, was taken to the hospital where he died from his injuries. He leaves behind four children as well as a child and relatives of his ex-wife that he helped raise.
According to Fox News, 39-year-old Joseph Grier, was taken into custody without further incident after a vehicle pursuit that spanned multiple jurisdictions — for a total of 15-miles. In a statement, the Atlanta Police Department (APD) said that the rush-hour chase crossed through highway lanes and suburban streets, with the bus careening into other cars and crossing into opposing traffic.
Grier hijacked the bus at gunpoint and fatally shot one of the passengers. He has since been booked into the Fulton County Jail on more than two dozen charges, including murder, 14 counts of kidnapping, 13 counts of aggravated assault, hijacking a motor vehicle, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
During a press conference, APD Chief Darin Schierbaum said that Grier was a convicted felon with 19 prior arrests. Georgia Department of Correction told Fox 5 Atlanta that Grier was last released from Baldwin State Prison 10 years ago after serving time for an aggravated assault that happened in 2011. He also served time for possession of a knife during a commission of a crime.
According to the Associated Press (AP), a short time before Grier hijacked the bus, police had responded to the area on reports of multiple people who had been shot at a downtown Atlanta food court. As that incident unfolded, Grier was supposedly on the sidewalk outside the food court rambling to reporters about his mental health, criminal record and banking history.
When talking to reporters he appeared agitated, adding that he felt like a "snitch" for describing what he had seen. He also said, "I'm bipolar. I'm gonna tell you that and I'm off my medication for like two weeks."
Authorities said Grier boarded a bus bound for a suburban Gwinnett County park-and-ride lot 26 miles away and got into a fight with one of the passengers. That passenger has been identified as 58-year-old Ernest Byrd Jr., the man who was fatally shot by Grier. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, during the fight, Byrd pulled out a gun. Grier took that gun and fatally shot Byrd, then threated to shoot the driver if he stopped.
Schierbaum said that despite Grier's warnings to not use phones, one of the passengers called 911 and left the line open, which allowed police to better understand the delicate situation on the bus. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that police flattened tires on the bus, but it kept rolling until a state trooper fired his rifle into the engine, causing it to stop running.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement, "You have an individual saying, 'If you stop this bus, I'm going to kill the driver,' which means that the whole bus could overturn, could run over a ditch or run over a bridge and everyone could die. But, you also have a man that we know was shot. So, he has a limited amount of time."
Schierbaum said that investigators have not found any connection between Grier and the man responsible for the shooting at the food court, 34-year-old Jeremy Malone. Both Schierbaum and Dickens said that they believe Grier's actions were linked to mental health issues. Dickens said, "Was he having a mental episode for that brief moment triggered by police sirens, triggered by activity that he's hearing, or was he already that day having a mental episode (and) he was just in that area? All of that will play into our investigation."
Grier's father's partner told Fox 5 Atlanta that Grier was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and has struggled with mental illness for 16 years. She said that he had been receiving medical treatment for both the mental illnesses. She described Grier as having a soft, calm and loving demeanor when he is well-rested and taking his medication.
However, she said that he stopped following his treatment plan after losing his job recently and that he had not been getting much sleep. Byrd, the man who was fatally shot by Grier, was taken to the hospital where he died from his injuries. He leaves behind four children as well as a child and relatives of his ex-wife that he helped raise.
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Comments
2024-06-16T14:16-0400 | Comment by: Greg
He should be locked up indefinitely